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A question I received: I understand that the period of correction begins when we cross the Machsom, but there is something that leaves me restless and I do not understood well: Once the Machsom is crossed, the things that happen to us in this world continue happening, but the form of seeing them is one of having enough intelligence to understand what happens to us and to use that to enlarge the vessel and to fill it. Now, based on the above-mentioned, my question is: Is faith above reason necessary to cross the Machsom, or will this be given when one has the complete Masach? And can a person tell whether he has the Neshama?

My Answer: Faith above reason is what we attain after the Machsom. Before it we’re just trying to understand what is faith and to attain it. Before the Machsom , we try to attain faith above reason (the revelation of the Creator, a perception of Him, of the quality of bestowal and love inside us - above our entire egoism). We desire to rise above all the obstacles to the oneness of the Creator and His good governance!

But the fulfillment of this desire takes place after the Machsom, when it is filled by the Light of bestowal on the level of Nefesh, then Ruach, and so on, until we fully attain the quality of faith above reason - the quality of Bina.

And after this, there is another degree – not ascent above egoism, but usage of egoism, or the correction of egoism to bestowal – when we receive into our desire for the sake of bestowal.

Related Material:
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A question I received: This question has been posted on the forums of arionline.info, yet the answer I received was somewhat not satisfying. I felt that the matter had been just passed over as any general situation, and not read with Love.

(What follows is a long, detailed description of drug induced “trips” experienced by a 21 year old psychology student from Mexico, who has been taking LSD for a long period of time. He describes how this gives him the opportunity to perceive the Upper Force, the higher reality, and his connection with Kabbalah. At one point he reaches the feeling that his mission in life is to comprehend the connection between spirituality and LSD.)

My Answer: There is no connection between drug induced experiences and the attainment of the Upper World, the Creator. You are completely disconnected from spiritual sensations and are controlled by your perceptions of chemical reactions. I recommend that you stop searching for ways to justify your behavior, leave drugs behind and begin correcting your soul. Good luck!

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A question I received: I have been watching your lessons over the Internet for about six months now. My brother, who is in the process of becoming religious, has also been studying your books a little, but in addition he studies the Mishnah by Rabbi Nachman, and a Jewish interpretation of yoga taught at Ohr Aganuz once a week. We have interesting and deep conversations, but it’s difficult for me to accept some things he says which aren’t related to what you teach. Would you advise me to be more open to the teachings of Likutei Mocharan, Breslov pamphlets, and the materials studied at Ohr Aganuz? And what advice can I give to my brother?

My Answer: My advice to you is: Don’t study at Ohr Aganuz, don’t teach your brother, and don’t talk to him about your studies, as if you don’t study Kabbalah at all. The two of you are on absolutely opposite paths – he’s on the path of Chassidut, and you’re on the path of Kabbalah. Don’t get in each other’s way.

You should let him mature on his own. Soon he will feel that yoga doesn’t supplement the attainment of the Creator, and that the only thing worth studying are the works of Baal HaSulam (provided they are interpreted correctly, according to my lessons).

What’s important isn’t the books you study, but how you study them. All the great sages wrote from their spiritual attainment. They all lived in the attainment of the Upper World, the Creator, and wrote only about this. So you’re both reading holy books. But they are holy because they speak of holiness - the property of bestowal and love that’s beyond one’s self. The purpose of studying these books is to reveal these properties within you, or in other words, to reveal the Creator.

Related Materials:
Laitman.com Post: Who Can I Talk to About Kabbalah?
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Questions I received on whether being married is necessary for spiritual advancement

Question: Can an unmarried man study Kabbalah? Someone told me that he can’t.

My Answer: He can, but it’s harder for him to advance.

Question: Is it necessary to get married in order to cross the Machsom and to advance spiritually?

My Answer: It’s not necessary, but it’s preferable. A person must advance into spirituality from this world, that is to say, he has to be present in the world by having a family, a job, and so on, rather than be a hermit.

Question: If a man with a point in the heart wants to get married but can’t find a wife, will the Creator respond to this kind of prayer?

My Answer: There is nothing but the Light and the desire It created. And there is only one prayer (or one desire that’s perceived by the Light and impels It to act) - to become similar to the Creator.

Question: Is the requirement to get married obligatory?

My Answer: No, but it is extremely recommended for spiritual advancement. The Torah says that a woman was created to be “help against you” (against your egoism).

Question: If a 21 year old man desires spirituality in life, will this be denied to him if he’s not married?

My Answer: No, a bachelor can attain spirituality as well - everything depends on his efforts. He will have to try harder, and then he will understand that it’s more natural to do this in a family. This is how nature has arranged things, and a Kabbalist involuntarily follows its conditions. After all, Nature is the Creator.

Related Material:
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Eleven questions I received on the future of Kabbalah, the birth of the last generation, and spiritual leaders of the future

Question: Based on item 12 of Talmud Eser Sefirot, which describes the process of the soul’s conception, can we say and imagine that the current state of humanity - the approaching global crises, are like labor pains during the birth of the last generation?

My Answer: The forces pressuring us are the labor pains that are forcing us to leave our previous state.

Question: Is there a connection between the process of the fetus turning from the state of “head up” to the state of “head down,” the union of Keter and Malchut, and the efforts of Kabbalists?

My Answer: Absolutely, because humanity must change its approach to the world, its purpose and values, and start preferring bestowal to reception, love for one’s neighbor over love for oneself.

Question: Are Kabbalists responsible for making sure that the last generation will be born normal?

My Answer: Yes, because people won’t change without the dissemination of Kabbalah. [Read more →]

 

 The Purpose of Kabbalah's Widespread Dissemination Today [03:03m]: Play Now | Download

 

 Kabbalah and Our Times [04:20m]: Play Now | Download

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Two questions I received on loving others

Question: We have to love everyone who was created by the Creator. But what about the people who hurt us, leaving us with severe scars? Maybe it’s possible to learn to forgive and to yield, but it is very difficult to love them the way you love others or yourself. My question is: Is it enough to love such people less or just to forgive them? Is it necessary to love everyone equally? And is it even possible to attain this level? I’d like to attain it.

My Answer: It’s written: A hero is someone who loves everyone. A hero amongst heroes is someone who has turned his enemies into his beloved. And in spirituality, it’s someone who has transformed his egoism to the service of others.

Question: There are seven billion cogwheels spinning around in the world, who are all interconnected and interdependent. I have this picture in my mind day and night. Sometimes I experience flashes of epiphany, when for a moment everything becomes crystal clear, but then it disappears and I could do nothing to bring it back. Everything becomes confusing again, and I start to feel so helpless - after all, I’m a cogwheel, and I’m being spun in a completely different direction by billions of other cogwheels - and in addition, they laugh at Kabbalah. And then I watch your broadcasts and hear the wonderful news from Sochi and Moscow… How can I disengage myself from the people who are very close to me (even my relatives and children), and be close to those who are physically far, but are very dear to me?

Answer: You should look at this world through the Upper World, love people with their involuntary lack of correction, patiently strive to help them with our knowledge about the world, and understand that your intolerance of them is a result of your lack of correction!

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 Animated Film: Cogwheels [02:07m]: Play Now | Download

 

 Animated Film: Love and Unity Eliminates All Problems [1:30m]: Play Now | Download

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A question I received: Islam also offers a method of attaining adhesion with the Creator - Sufism. And it’s also based on the same principle as Kabbalah – love thy neighbor. So if the main thing is to correct one’s egoism, to build a screen, then isn’t it possible for a person who’s following Islam to become corrected just like someone following Kabbalah?

My Answer: It’s your right to check and verify which method suits you best. However, you should know that everything comes from Kabbalah - for more on this, see the part of the Torah that talks about how Abraham taught “partial Kabbalah” to the children of his mistresses - meaning Kabbalah without the attainment of the Upper World, and then he sent them to the east. If you checked it for yourself, without believing anyone else and regardless of your ethnic background, and you found that Sufism suits you best, then stay in it - there is no coercion in spirituality.

All faiths and religions came from Kabbalah, from the search for the Creator, in order for man to go through a preliminary development, to prepare him to attain the Creator through studying Kabbalah. It’s written, “The peel (Klipa) protects the fruit” – it protects it from being destroyed until it ripens, and then the peel is removed and the fruit eaten. And this is what’s happening in our time!

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 The Difference Between Kabbalah, Science and Religion [05:24m]: Play Now | Download

 

 The Difference Between Faith and Kabbalah [03:27m]: Play Now | Download

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Questions I received on intentions and actions

Question: I have a question about the Light that returns one to the source. Do I have to desire for it to influence me while I am studying Kabbalah? If yes, who will influence me, and what will it influence?

My Answer: The Upper Light will influence your aspiration to correct your egoistic intention “to do everything for your own sake” to the altruistic intention to unite with all the souls, and with the original vessel of your soul, and in it – in the quality of bestowal and love - you will unite with the Creator.

Question: Should I intend to bestow before every material action I make?

My Answer: You should always try to remember, in your thoughts and feelings, that “there is none else beside the Creator,” that He acts inside and outside of you, and that all His actions are “good.”

Question: During one of your lessons someone asked a question about one’s intention while performing material actions (such as eating, drinking, and etc.), and you responded that people shouldn’t think about this. But shouldn’t I intend to bestow before every action I make? Right now the only intention we can have is to receive, because we don’t have a screen, yet at the same time, isn’t the correct intention for me to demand a screen from the Creator, in order to be able to give to Him?

My Answer: The best thing to do is to keep holding on to the thought that “There is none else besides Him” and that He is Good and so are all of His actions. I’m afraid that by trying to keep the intention to unite with the Creator while making material actions, you will only make mistakes. You will think that you already have the correct intention, the same as how religious people think. Besides this, you’ll begin thinking that with your actions, you are raising something up to the Creator, and correcting your soul. This is Chassidut. You will start believing that your food is asking you to eat it in order to correct it, and that by eating the food you are correcting yourself just by saying a blessing beforehand, instead of correcting yourself to the level of the blessing - love and bestowal.

After all, the realization that one’s intentions are evil also come to a person under the influence of the Light, the Light of the Torah, which only surrounds us when we study authentic Kabbalistic texts. You should pursue this intention during the lesson and when you disseminate, but not when you eat. You can’t even imagine where the hidden stumbling blocks lie, and how you will veer off from the true path to psychology, Chassidut, or mysticism without even realizing you are doing so. Follow the Kabbalists’ advice! Read Rabash’s articles about the group for beginners - his first twenty articles.

Rabash’s Articles on the Group:
Rabash Article: They Helped Every One His Friend
Rabash Article: The Purpose of the Association
Rabash Article: The Purpose of the Association (2)
Rabash Article: The Importance of the Association
Rabash Article: The Importance of the Association (2)
Rabash Article: The Need for Love of Friends (2nd Essay)
Rabash Article: The Need for Love of Friends (3rd Essay)
Rabash Article: Love of Friends (3)

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A comment I received: I’m shocked and moved to tears to find out that we are also potential Nazis. Why did great Kabbalists, who attained Gmar Tikkun (final correction), continue to take part in cruel slaughter and use of animals? How can it be possible that the exalted teaching of Kabbalah ignores cruelty to animals?

It’s obvious that it won’t correct anything in the soul if we were all to become vegetarian. But great Kabbalists corrected everything and did not become lovers of miserable animals. How can this be? Maybe there are 126 levels and the time of the complete Gmar Tikkun has arrived only now, when “love thy neighbor as yourself” will also include animals, plants and the still level of nature? As far as I understand with my simple mind, we must ultimately feel love for ants and bugs as well…

My Response: There are rules for how to act in order to correspond to the general law of nature, called Elokim. Man has been created opposite to this law, and our task is to change ourselves in order to be the same as this law. This is the purpose of our existence in this world. This change in a person, from our level to the Creator’s level, can be attained only by studying Kabbalah. Baal HaSulam writes about it in the article “Introduction to the Book ‘From the Mouth of a Sage’”: “Even if a person is completely righteous in this world, knows the whole Torah and has fulfilled all the earthly commandments, but did not study Kabbalah, then he must return to this world again in order to study Kabbalah” – because only by studying Kabbalah does he attract the Light of Correction to him, as written in the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” item 155.

By correcting himself, a person unwillingly acts according to the Upper Laws. When this happens, how does he relate to the nature around him? He relates to it based on the degree of his equivalence of the Creator. And no matter what he relates to, he does so based on his equivalence to the Creator. But perhaps his actions and behavior won’t seem righteous to you, because you imagine righteousness differently to what it is in the spiritual world.

 

 What Is Control? [4:13m]: Play Now | Download

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Three questions I received about virtual groups and the World Kli

Question: Soon we – the virtual group - will be hosting a Yeshivat Haverim (friends’ gathering) with the purpose of joining the common Kli. What should we aim for as the next stage of unity between our group and the world Kli?

My Answer: As the next stage of unity between your group and the world Kli, you should become maximally included into the common Kli. This way you will receive from the common Kli the realization that you are unable to attain the goal, the Creator, and in addition, the realization of the greatness of the goal that you will receive from them will give you such enormous forces to progress that even when you will be in a descent, you will feel as if you’re on a pillow of forces (Arvut, mutual guarantee). However, all this will happen only if you will really become a part of the group!

Question: How can we realize the principle of Arvut among us in the virtual group?

My Answer: The surest way to do so is to include yourselves into the common Kli and learn from them while working together on disseminating Kabbalah. Through this action, you will definitely be performing an act of bestowal, love for your neighbor, and hence you will evoke Ohr Makif (Surrounding Light), the Light of the Upper Level toward which you aspire - and it will start pulling you up to that level.

Question: How can I think about all the friends at the same time? After all, I’m only capable of concentrating on one thing at a time, but there are millions of friends around the world, and I’ve never even met most of them.

My Answer: You should be thinking about the whole group in general, about all the millions of people, about unity and the common goal, about how many people are striving towards it, and about how the Creator – who is one for everyone – is directing us to Him. Instead of envisioning people and bodies, you should envision the desires to unite together and to unite with the Creator. Imagine that these desires are together regardless of distance and quantity. You will gradually begin feeling this common desire or force more and more vividly! And this will be your Kli. It’s because inside one’s own soul, a person can only receive the initial aspiration toward the Creator, but he receives all the rest of the fulfillment within the souls or desires of his “neighbors,” whom he adds to himself through love, according to the condition “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” It turns out that this is the condition for creating the inner vessel in order to receive the Light of Infinity.

The Virtual Group will be hosting the Yeshivat Haverim this coming Sunday on Kabbalah TV, 7:00pm Israel time [Time Zone Converter].

Related Material:
Lesson: The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee) [17-11-07]
Lesson: The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee) [17-11-07]
Lesson: The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee) [17-11-07] - Transcript

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